By Diane Burkley Alejandro: There is a family separation crisis right here in Fairfax County. The nation was rightfully shocked when 2,600 children were separated from migrant families crossing the border. Why then isn’t the Fairfax Board of Supervisors incensed that 12,037 Fairfax immigrant families have been torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—and that Fairfax law enforcement, working…
Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are sponsoring a 10-day bus tour across Virginia to urge legislators to make Virginia the 38th and final state necessary to achieve ratification. The bus stopped in several locations in Fairfax County on Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11, after visiting Richmond, and continued on to Fredericksburg. The bus tour is run by VAratifyERA, a non-partisan,…
By Todd Thurwachter: During October, FCDC’s Voter Registration and Education Committee (VR&EC) mounted a blitz to reach thousands of voters before the Oct. 15 registration deadline, registering at least 16 voters at local festivals and engaging thousands with voting materials, including VOTING: What you Need to Know cards in English and Spanish. VR&EC also encouraged voters to manage their own registrations online and vote early…
By Todd Thurwachter: Ahead of the Nov. 6 election, Democrats have made a sustained effort to register and educate Latino voters in Fairfax County – who now constitute 16% of the population, and are heading higher. The campaign has contacted tens of thousands in Fairfax and neighboring counties, led by the Voter Registration & Education Committee of Fairfax County Democratic…
By Brad Swanson: George Mason University (GMU) students delivered a 2,000-signature petition to the office of university President Angel Cabrera on Thursday demanding an end to influence by donors such as radical libertarian Charles Koch over academic appointments and course material. The protest was part of a National Day of Action sponsored by UnKoch My Campus, an organization dedicated to…
You’re never too young to canvass, especially in an election as important as the one on November 6th. Aaron, aged 6, canvassed in Providence District with his mom and 3-year-old sister Hannah recently, and made it the highlight of his “Weekend News” homework assignment for his first-grade class. His text reads: “Over the weekend I went canvassing. Canvassing is reminding people…
By Lainie Singerman: Two very different styles were on display when Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D) faced off against Corey Stewart, the Republican vying for his Senate seat, at a candidate panel at Congregation Olam Tikvah in the Mantua area of Fairfax on Sunday, October 14. Sen. Kaine was firm in his views but showed a positive manner and was…
By Brad Swanson: Organized labor and allies rallied Saturday morning against Trump Administration plans to deport an estimated 20,000 protected status immigrants from northern Virginia. “This is a cruel and vicious attack on families,” said Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO. Many of these immigrants have been in the USA for a generation and have sunk deep roots…
By Paul Davis: You cannot miss the current enthusiasm of young people for a new political direction. Fairfax Young Democrats (FYD) is one of the most active and committed youth organizations in this movement. Whether it is hosting speakers, canvassing, protesting or other displays of civic participation, FYD is there, representing the future — and many of the present —…
By Brad Swanson: Prominent historian Nancy MacLean warned Wednesday night that America faces an “existential threat to democracy” from a secretive plan by right wing plutocrats led by Charles Koch to subvert our political institutions and undo a century of social progress. MacLean, author of the prize-winning book Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan…
By Karen Kirk: Virginia freshman Delegates Elizabeth R. Guzman, David A. Reid and Kathy Tran talked about what motivated them to run for office, what surprised them when they arrived in Richmond and their outlook for 2019 at the Blue Wave Forum held on Sept. 25 at James Madison High School in Vienna. State Sen. Scott Surovell, who asked the…
By Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: State Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D-33) faced off against Rep. Barbara Comstock (R- 10) on Sept. 21 for the Congressional candidates’ only debate so far in the campaign. In a discussion restricted to business issues, Wexton attacked the GOP-led tax act for benefiting the top 1% and decried the erosion of bipartisanship under the leadership of a…
By Karen Kirk: Virginia’s candidates for U.S. Senate Tim Kaine and Republican Corey Stewart have different takes on climate change: Sen. Kaine believes that human activity is causing significant climate change and we have an obligation to do something about it. Stewart believes the climate has cycles and we can’t change it. Both Sen. Kaine and Stewart, Chairman of Prince…
By Brad Swanson: Fairfax Democrats looked inward on Wednesday night – and were not too happy with what they saw. About 60 members of the Fairfax Democratic Committee (FCDC) attended a Racial Equity Workshop and most gave their party low grades on a self-evaluation for racism. Nevertheless, the Dems ended the evening on an upbeat assessment, recognizing that the first…